FM X-Wing need help with color!

I posted this at SSM and only got one reply. I'm doing a New Republic Rogue Squadron X-Wing and I'm modeling the colors off of the X-Wings in the comics. I need to see if anyone has any ideas on how to get colors close to the ones on the nose. Someone said to use radome tan and color it with pastels, but testing that the pastels are too hard to move around to get the color like the picture. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Hi Jason,

I'm assuming you are asking about the nosecone only, right?

I'd paint the nosecone the lighter "base" color first, and then put a clear coat on it to seal it. Then paint the tan color on top, and let it dry for a bit. Return with some light sandpaper or an exacto knife and scrape away the tan to reveal the undercoat. I think the pastels are for the darker "carbon" marks. You could go a step further and do a random bit of the nosecone with a darker wash or a darker tone of the tan to give it some depth before you do the sanding and the pastel work.

Is that the sort of suggestion you were looking for? Let me know if you have more questions!

-Raj

 

For just the nosecone. My question is what colors to use? I can't find any Testors colors that are right, so I was hoping maybe someone knew of a color or something that could be mixed that would look right because I have no clue. I've found pastels that will work, but you just can get that sharp of a line between colors with pastels.

It would help if Testors would post a freakin' color chart on their site too!

 

There are many methods of doing this. What I would do is go to the model shop and hold the comic right against the paints until I found the correct tan orange and brown colors To me it looks like a medium "desert" camo tan mixed with a bit of burnt orange would do the trick for the "primary nosecone tan color" splatter a bit of dark brown on after it dries then with a bit of sandpaper and an exacto knife scrape it off to reveal the base "white" underneath where apropriate. Its probably something you can try a few times on some scrap until you get a color/effect you like. If you can't find the right color with testors try Micheals or AC moore in the acrylic paint section. You can buy it in a tube, water it down to the consistancy you like then paint away. You'll probably need to practice doing that a few times before you get it right but it a worthwhile skill to develop.

Good luck,
Jedi Dade

 

Ok, I found a color that is an exact match for the X-Wing comic X-Wings (or at least from In the Empire's Service). It's Model Master II Skin Tone Warm Tint 2003.

I masked with salt then painted a light coat of Radome Tan (though not light enough to be transparent, just to look warm). Then I mixed some of the Skin Tone color with a little bit of Radome Tan mixed in with it to lighten it, then lightly airbrushed it over the Radome Tan. The salt techinique worked awesome too. I used salt from the salt packets you get at fast food places because the grains are smaller.

I'll post pics when I get this thing done.

 

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Sluis Van Shipyards wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
I masked with salt. I used salt from the salt packets you get at fast food places because the grains are smaller.
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Now that's something I've never heard of before. Could someone please expand on this technique?

 

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quarryman wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
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Sluis Van Shipyards wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
I masked with salt. I used salt from the salt packets you get at fast food places because the grains are smaller.
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Now that's something I've never heard of before. Could someone please expand on this technique?
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There's an article about it in the new Finescale Modeler magazine. First paint the base coat, say a metal color. What you do is, using a paintbrush, put some water on the model where you want the paint to appear worn or chipped. Then put some salt on the water to kind of make a paste and you move that around wherever you want the weathering. You let it dry then paint over it. After the paint dries you rub the salt off with a cloth or paper towel and it makes it look worn. You can also catch the salt that you rub off and scrub it around a little more to make more areas worn. It looks pretty darn good, way better than any masking I've ever tried.

 

Interesting. I'll have to go check out that article. Thanks.

 

That's a new one to me as well. I can see where it would work well though. Have you got any pics of the effect?

Jedi Dade

 

One of the things that I hate about the Special Editions is their implication that X-Wings have tan nose cones.

stonky

 

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stonky wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
One of the things that I hate about the Special Editions is their implication that X-Wings have tan nose cones.

stonky
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At least one of them did. I can't remember exactly, but I'm thinking it was Biggs' X-Wing, though I'm not sure.

 

That salt masking idea sounds great!

I'd look at 'sandgelb', or some of the other Afrika Korps colors for such a mustard-y color.

And for the pastels - you should rub / grind the sticks on a pice of sandpaper, first, then use a paintbrush in the resulting dust to transfer the color - you first post sounding like you are trying to rub them directly on the kit??

 

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rayra wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
That salt masking idea sounds great!

I'd look at 'sandgelb', or some of the other Afrika Korps colors for such a mustard-y color.

And for the pastels - you should rub / grind the sticks on a pice of sandpaper, first, then use a paintbrush in the resulting dust to transfer the color - you first post sounding like you are trying to rub them directly on the kit??

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I've got the X-Wing done and I've done pastels before, I meant that to get the coloration like the comic, it was too hard to move the chalk around with the brush to get hard edges like the comic picture. Not actually writing on the model with the chalk.

I'm hoping to be able to post pics of the finished X-Wing and base by this weekend.

 

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Sluis Van Shipyards wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
Not actually writing on the model with the chalk.
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hey, don't laugh! I've seen it done!
Looking forward to the pics.